


One Way to Fight Your Feelings

by vldrarepairs (miraculousstorytelling)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Team Bonding, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-16 17:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9281540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousstorytelling/pseuds/vldrarepairs
Summary: When Keith meets with Allura late at night, the two of them bond over silence and avoiding their feelings.





	

Keith didn't consider himself a particularly emotional person. In fact, he preferred to train whenever he experienced anything outside of his preferred calm detachment. So, when he turned the corner and saw a teary-eyed Allura staring up at the sky, he very nearly turned around.

Except that she saw him, and she was rapidly wiping away any trace of her tears as she straightened to look at him, "Keith?"

He winced and approached her warily, "Princess."

She raised a brow, "I hadn't expected anyone to be up and about at this hour."

"Couldn't sleep," he answered with a small shrug, "I thought a walk might help."

"I thought the same," she said softly.

He didn't ask why she'd been crying. Frankly, he found the situation a little too awkward to address, and he was more than willing to sit in uncomfortable silence if it meant he didn't have to deal with the even more uncomfortable potential of Allura disclosing her feelings to him. Thankfully, Allura seemed to relax as she looked back up at the stars around them.

They stood there for a long, lovely moment, simply observing the stars, each lost in thought and content to simply stand and watch the empty space around them. Keith occasionally wondered to himself when Allura would crack. Surely, eventually, she would tire of the silence and say something. After all, she was typically bubbling over with energy and words as she led the team.

Instead, he found himself basking in the absolute lack of conversation as he stood by her and watched the sky overhead move slowly as they traveled through space. He found himself gradually relaxing, comforted by the quiet presence of another person content to rest in the brief hush of the starry night.

Finally, Allura yawned quietly and turned to him with a small smile, "Good night."

He nodded, "Night."

Then, without another word, she left, and he watched with a perplexed frown. While Keith would admit he didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to people, one thing he'd always counted on was that they liked to talk. From what he'd seen of Allura, he'd assumed she would be the same. Maybe he didn't understand her quite as well as he thought.

 

The next night, he found her again. This time, she was sitting in the control room, staring at a star map and frowning at the dark spot on the projection in front of her.

"Was that Altea?" he asked, almost immediately regretting his blunt question when he saw her flinch.

She turned to face him, "Keith, I apologize. I didn't hear you come in." She shut down the map, pointedly ignoring his question and, in the process, answering it.

"I didn't mean to intrude." He folded his arms over his chest, "I couldn't sleep again. Thought I might do some training. Did you want to join?"

She thought for a moment, then slowly answered, "Perhaps some activity would help clear my thoughts." Then, she smiled, "Give me one moment to change into something a little more suitable, and I shall be there momentarily."

He nodded and turned to head straight for the training room. She joined him moments later, dressed in possibly the most casual outfit he'd seen her wear yet. It was probably the Altean version of sweatpants, though it was a little more fitted. She had pinned her hair up into a bun as well, though it wasn't quite as tidy as she her typical updo.

He retrieved a practice sword, "Do you need to stretch?"

She nodded and located her own sword, lightly swinging it around as she warmed up her muscles. He did the same, watching her out of the corner of his eye. Her movements were fluid and strong, once more reminding him that she was more powerful than he had expected when he first saw her. As she thrust the sword in front of her, he turned his attention back to his own warm-up.

After another brief period of silence, filled with the soft swish of fabric as each stretched, Keith turned to look at her, silently raising a brow. She nodded and moved into a stance. He prepared to lunge forward, but she struck the instant he was in a stance of his own. He nearly fell, stumbling back slightly.

Keith smirked. He really had underestimated her.

He struck, and she effortlessly dodged. She hit the back of his legs, and he struggled to regain his footing. He managed a glancing blow to her side. She smiled before easily knocking him to the ground.

He chuckled and stood, "Best two out of three?"

Her smile had an undeniably smug air to it as she moved back into position, "If you'd like."

As it turned out, he didn't win the next one. Or the next. Or even the one after that. He might be upset, except that he actually enjoyed feeling challenged. Allura adapted to his style quickly, perhaps part of her Altean physiology, which only made it all the more impossible to fight her.

He felt like cheering every time he managed to so much as tap her with his sword. Allura, on the other hand, hardly broke a sweat as she threw him to the ground over and over again.

Finally, he had to concede defeat. She helped him to his feet as he gradually caught his breath.

"Very impressive work, Keith." She smiled warmly.

He shook his head, "I lost to you thirty-six times."

"You counted?"

He shrugged.

"Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised." She gathered up their swords, "Thank you for the diversion."

Maybe it was the endorphins, maybe it was the fact that she was actually proving to be a pleasant training partner, and maybe it was just Keith's attempt to be friendly. Whatever the reason, he smiled back at her and sincerely offered, "Anytime, Allura."

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on tumblr under vldrarepairs.


End file.
